The Moon's Shadow
by SparklyTree3876
Summary: Set during X2. Siryn stared at the moon while sitting on the windowsill. She couldn't stop thinking about the mansion attack and what might become of her and the other students. This is a glimpse into her thoughts while staying with a friend of Charles.


The Moon's Shadow  
By SparklyTree3876

Rating: PG

Genre: General/Drama

Pairing: Peter/Kitty (implied)

Author's Notes: Hi, everyone. Here is another one of my X-Men movieverse one shots for you to enjoy. This one focuses on Siryn from X2: X-Men United, and it has a connection to "Uncertainty in the Night," taking place at the same time. I did this fic because I realized that are very few fics focusing on the secondary characters who appeared in the movies, including Siryn, who helped alert the mansion's residents that they were under attack. I felt she deserved a fic dedicated to her, and I wonder what she might have been thinking after seeking refuge. I may feature more fics with her. I hope you enjoy this one shot. Constructive criticism is welcome.

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I stare at the moon while sitting on the windowsill of the bedroom of Shelby Binkley's house. I'm sharing the room with four other students, and the rest are in the other two bedrooms down the hall. Peter and Kitty are downstairs acting as guards in case we're attacked by soldiers involved in the mansion attack again. The moon filters through the branches of a tree that sits not too far away from the window, casting a shadow on the ground. The shadow seems unmoving, but it does have somewhat of a creepy feeling to it.

There is a little bit of light in this room, thanks to the moon. I haven't been able to stop thinking about the mansion attack. I never believed it could be breached like that. I can't help but feel uncertain that we had really escaped from them. For all I know, they could be coming for us right now, and I'm scared of what might happen to us if they manage to capture us. I know the other students are just as scared as I am. It's all right to feel fear, but you can't let it control you. It can cause you to make rash decisions and do very dangerous things. As a result, it can keep you from getting very far in life, and that's something no one should experience.

I hear soft crying, and I look over at a little Asian girl sitting up in the bed to the left of the one I am using. She's no more than ten years old and has long, curly black hair and light green eyes. She is wearing light pink pajamas with a dark pink bow on the collar. Her name is Min Ling, and she's one of several orphans living at the mansion. She's a sweet girl who's shy when she meets new people. Once she gets used to them, she makes friends with them very quickly. I like her a lot because she's so polite to everyone she sees. She works hard on her studies and asks for my help if she needs it.

I make my way over to Min and sit on the edge of the bed. She tells me she can't sleep because she's scared the soldiers are going to find us. I wrap my arms around her, and she buries her face in my chest, still crying. I rock her back and forth, telling her she's not alone and that I am just as scared as she is. I tell her everything will be okay, though I can't be certain. I sing a little song to her, and she calms down a little bit. I rub her shoulder while whispering comforting words to her. A little girl like Min shouldn't be feeling fear at her age. Her life should be filled with love and peace. Unfortunately, children live in a world where both are hard to come by. All around us, people fear and hate mutants. They do unspeakable things to them.

I don't understand one thing. Why was the mansion attacked? We didn't do anything to make those soldiers come after us. I have a feeling they wanted something. I don't know what it is, but I know it can't be good. All this fear and hostility toward mutants scares me to no end. It's like we'll never find a common ground with the rest of humanity. I think most people who hate and fear mutants are jealous of our powers. They want what we have, but they can't because they don't have the mutant gene or are simply carriers of it. In turn, they become jealous and grow to hate us. Jealousy is such a terrible emotion. It can turn nice people into real monsters.

A good part of normal society treats being different like it's some kind of disease. People will single out anyone who is even the slightest bit different. They believe anyone who isn't like them won't amount to anything. In my eyes, being different isn't a disease. It's what makes each of us unique. In the case of mutants, we have powers that enable us to do things normal people can't do. These powers can be a gift, a curse, or both. I consider my sonic scream a gift because it makes a great alarm to alert others if I find myself in trouble.

Tonight will probably go down as the scariest night of my life. I clearly remember that soldier breaking into my room with a dart gun and letting out my sonic scream before being knocked out. I was so scared when I saw him that I felt like my heart would leap out of my chest. I didn't see his eyes, but if I had, I believe they would have been as black as the devil's eyes. I could tell he didn't care what happened to me or anyone else. Those eyes would've represented the hate and prejudice against us in my view.

I was relieved to find I was safe after I regained consciousness following our arrival at Ms. Binkley's house. I met her once when I ate at her restaurant, and she's very nice. Her restaurant has some of the best food I ever tasted. The most interesting thing about her is that she is a mutant just like us, and she isn't afraid to be out in public. Most mutants are afraid to reveal themselves because of the potential for backlash, but Ms. Binkley isn't, and I admire her for that.

I learned Peter rescued me from the soldier who tried to capture me. I'll always be grateful to him for that. He may be big and strong, but he's a real marshmallow who would never hurt anyone unless he feels threatened. I can see why Kitty likes to be around him so much. He is so sweet and gentle. I think she has a little crush on him, but I don't think she'll ever admit it. On top of that, she's known to be shy around boys. I like Peter because of his willingness to protect his friends from dangerous threats. He'll even protect young children from bullies.

It's been four hours since we sought refuge with Ms. Binkley, and I hadn't gotten much sleep. I keep wondering what happened to Bobby, Marie, John, Jubilee, and everyone else at the mansion. Did they escape the soldiers? Did they find a safe place to hide until they could be picked up? I hope they did. The thought of harm to coming to any of them makes me feel very uneasy. The same goes for Min because she is just a little girl. I'll protect her with my life if I have to. So will Peter and Kitty. She doesn't deserve to be harmed just because of people hating us for being different. Neither do the other students. We deserve to live as any other American does.

I look down at Min and find she has fallen asleep in my arms. Sighing with relief, I lay her back on her pillow and cover her up with the blanket. I run the back of my hand down her face before returning to my bed and lying on my side. I listen to the softness of her breathing, and it brings warmth to my heart. I know she is still scared, but I feel better that I was able to lull her to sleep. I look at the other students who are asleep in their sleeping bags on the floor. They look so peaceful, despite what happened. It's been a long night, and a good night's sleep will do them wonders.

Though I don't know what might happen to us, I do have hope that we will be able to go home soon. For now, all we can do is wait and hope someone will come pick us up. Peter once told me there's always a light when the darkest hour comes, and I believe him. Obstacles can be so big that it seems nothing can knock them down, but if we believe in ourselves, we can conquer them. Life isn't always fair, and it is up to each of us to make the best of it. The dark may rise to embrace the light, but it will never eclipse it.

THE END


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